Professional Development

Teaching and Learning for the Common Good

The Freedom Center conducts professional development — teacher training and public service seminars — addressing the need for culturally proficient social and collective engagement that strengthens community. Democracy relies on education to prepare all young people with the character and consciousness required to be able to participate in meaningful contribution toward the well-being of others. Freedom Center classes prepare individuals and groups to create meaning. Learning takes place in conjunction with relevance and critical problem solving. The curriculum promotes common-good values of interdependence, other-interestedness, mutuality, equity, and the global pursuit of ecological sustainability.

Current course offerings include:

Making Public Service Meaningful—A seminar engaging government and public sector workers in developing skills and attitudes required for the service of the common good.

Personal Transformation through Social Participation—A teacher’s manual for teacher and student transformation, based on core alignment with rigorous academic standards, development of culturally proficient social-emotional learning skills, and benefiting from the merits of collective achievement and advancement. Supports Stand up…Speak up! Curriculum.

Research Based methodology

A 16-year longitudinal study documents outcomes of teachers and students with two or more years in programming (Bohlke, 2013). In addition to a 100% high school graduation or equivalency rate, and a 94% college entrance rate, with 87% degree conferrals which include advanced JD’s and Master’s degrees, students and teachers provide qualitative impact in the following areas: